My Bafang Ultra Mountain Bike! Frey AM1000

Thanks, I did notice the pads were quite filthy on the outside and couldn't rule out contamination so I cleaned the rotor with steel wool and scrubbed the brake pads with a toothbrush and light soap. I plan to let it dry overnight and then sand the pads gently. For good measure I will rinse both with isopropyl alcohol and let it burn off any lingering residue. The internet is a dangerous source of information for the desperate.

I did notice one of the pads is missing a few little chunks but I can't imagine this is the culprit.



That is interesting regarding the through axle. I have a DT Swiss with knob to hand tighten so will ease off and make sure it isn't too tight.

Dear friends,

Here I give our response about the brake adapter. at a period of time, we are short of MAGURA adapter(mainly during March when we are making the gourp buying orders, we can't wait to delay for the orders, so we adapt TEKTRO brake same model adapter on MAGURA brakes, it match well in same size only maybe a little different shape, we confirm it match well before we assemble it. and it not related to the sound. we are inspecting this sitaution and we will check with Magura try to figure out what effect this kind of sound case. any further progress we will inform promptly. it not happen common.

About the adapter, it does not match to use, but if some customer you found the adapter is not same Magura brand, and you would like to get them to replace, please contact us to tell your idea, we will arrange it for you.

Regards,
Ivy

Tom said:

Thanks, it seems I do not have original Magura adapters on either front or rear brake. Front and rear look identical. I did not check to see if the front adapter was ground as I did not want to re-align the brake. It took me a long time to align it after cleaning the rotors last week. I'm not sure the rear was actually ground, could just be the aftermarket adapter is not finished with paint on that side.

There would be no reason for the front fork to need a custom aftermarket or modified adapter since it is attached to a standard rockshox fork that is independent of frame design. Hopefully the brakes are original Magura MT5 and not counterfeit, lol.

I tried all sorts of variations tonight. I tested with double spacers. I tested with spacers on one side of the adapter but not the other. I flipped the left and right pads. All to no avail. It seems ok at first, I get excited, but after a few brake pulls I eventually get the drumroll. Maybe the pads are dirty. I will wait for Frey to get back to me.

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Tom said:

I cleaned the rotor with steel wool and scrubbed the brake pads with a toothbrush and light soap. I plan to let it dry overnight and then sand the pads gently. For good measure I will rinse both with isopropyl alcohol and let it burn off any lingering residue. The internet is a dangerous source of information for the desperate.

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OK, dangerous information turned out to be prophetic. I would NOT recommend alcohol burn off. All it did was oxidize my rotor and I think may have compromised the pads long term. In any case cleaning the rotors and pads made NO difference. I took the bike for a spin around the block and still have the same roll drum phenomenon.

I tried loosening and tightening the thru axle and it seems looser is a little less noise, but sadly, not a solution.

It could be a mismatched adapter but I would have thought the spacers would have rectified. I guess I can live with it. I will try the OEM spacer and if that doesn't work might upgrade the rotor eventually.

barbarossa said:

my Frey EX has of course MDR-P 220mm :lol: and the blue pads. a nice combination, the MDR-Ps have an enormous usable braking area

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After a few email exchanges with FREY I'm not sure they understand there is a problem with the Tektro PM adapters. As you pointed out my pads are biting to high on my front rotor (it seems the PM adapter is too short) and no matter what I try the rear brakes want to drum roll (PM adapter could be too thick or as you say the Storm HC rotors just suck). I have wasted so much time on this I think I am just going to purchase correct PM adapters and upgrade the rotors. Is the adapter the same for front and rear? Would you recommend going to 220mm MDR-P rotors? Cost is the same for 203 vs. 220 so why not? Although I'm not sure if 220 would fit in the rear. Also, seems like 220mm rotors would use the QM 45 PM adapter.

Tom said:

barbarossa said:

my Frey EX has of course MDR-P 220mm :lol: and the blue pads. a nice combination, the MDR-Ps have an enormous usable braking area

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After a few email exchanges with FREY I'm not sure they understand there is a problem with the Tektro PM adapters. As you pointed out my pads are biting to high on my front rotor (it seems the PM adapter is too short) and no matter what I try the rear brakes want to drum roll (PM adapter could be too thick or as you say the Storm HC rotors just suck). I have wasted so much time on this I think I am just going to purchase correct PM adapters and upgrade the rotors. Is the adapter the same for front and rear? Would you recommend going to 220mm MDR-P rotors? Cost is the same for 203 vs. 220 so why not? Although I'm not sure if 220 would fit in the rear. Also, seems like 220mm rotors would use the QM 45 PM adapter.

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Hi,
yep, the combination of original adapters, new brake pads (should be changed anyways with a new rotor) and a new rotor might solve your problem i think
and yep, you wont waste any additional time i think and you will have a nice looking brake system :lol: . and if it does not work at the rear the only reason might be that rear brake PM mount points are too far away from standard PM at the Frey CC - but i dont think/hope so...- or even that could be compensated by the larger MDR-P brake area.

yep, prices for MDR-P 203 and 220 are equal.
and yes, there is the special Magura adapter for 220mm rotors (coming from 180mm) as you mentioned = Magura QM-45.

but you have a Frey CC. unfortunately you can only use a 220mm rotor by using 2 PM adapters (160mm + 40 + 20) one over another (Rockshox Recon base at Frey CC is only 160mm i think - it is 180mm base for Rockshox Yari/Lyrik at Frey AM1000(EX) ). 2 adapters one over another are not really recommended. i use this combination at one of my bikes for a rear brake but not really recommended especially not at the front brake.

so you will need the following parts for front and rear brakes for your Frey CC:
- 2x Magura QM-42 adapters (160mm + 43mm = 203mm)
- 2x 203 Magura MDR-P disc rotors
- 2x sets blue brake pads (or black, but for a commuter like the Frey CC the blue ones match better i think)

for a Frey AM1000 (EX) it is possible to use a 220mm rotor at the front:
- 1x Magura QM-45 adapter (180mm base + 40mm = 220mm) (front)
- 1x 220 Magura MDR-P disc rotor (front)
- 1x Magura QM-42 adapter (160mm base + 43mm = 203mm) (rear) - already provided by Frey when you buy your bike (at least most of the time )
- 1x 203 Magura MDR-P disc rotor (rear)
- 2x sets blue or black pads

cheers

Thanks again for the info, very helpful. BTW, I found this article very interesting regarding the brake pad performance:

https://theloamwolf.com/2020/04/24/review-magura-mt5-disc-brakes/

Another overview of the rotors and discussion of pads (apparently there is a sport version but doesn't seem available for quad piston):

https://ebike-mtb.com/en/magura-estop-2020/

Tom said:

Thanks again for the info, very helpful. BTW, I found this article very interesting regarding the brake pad performance:

https://theloamwolf.com/2020/04/24/review-magura-mt5-disc-brakes/

Another overview of the rotors and discussion of pads (apparently there is a sport version but doesn't seem available for quad piston):

https://ebike-mtb.com/en/magura-estop-2020/

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interesting article !
"Magura’s 9.C or Comfort brake pads, which are designed for control and longevity rather than bite" = these are the blue pads. that's why i suggested these pads for a Frey CC - as a commuter bike.

sport version is available for 4 piston MT5/7 = "8.S" :wink:
but 8.S ( and also 8.P ) are single brake pads. you need 4 pads for each brake caliber and these 4 pads are fixed by 2 screws (1 screw for 2 pads each) - the holes of MT5 for the 2 screws are just unused if you use the 2 pad version that is fixed not by screws but only by the magnet.

I assume the MDR-C rotor at half the price of the MDR-P is not worth trying. It does have more rigidity than the storm HC but you seem to think the issue with the noise has more to do with the inconsistent rotor coverage, correct?

Tom said:

I assume the MDR-C rotor at half the price of the MDR-P is not worth trying. It does have more rigidity than the storm HC but you seem to think the issue with the noise has more to do with the inconsistent rotor coverage, correct?

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i could not test the MDR-C so far.
but yes and yes: according to the pictures online there is some possibility that the effect with MDR-C could be the same as with Storm HC => inconsistent rotor coverage towards the center might lead to some noise or problems caused by braking on the inner bridges.
on the other hand MDR-P is total different so there is absolutely no chance to have that kind of problem.

I had this issue on my front 180 mm breaks ( not a Frey ) I t sounded a lot like the sound on the video, to me I thought it sounded like the spokes. Took it to bike shop and that’s what it turned out to be, I guess they tightened or tuned them and noise was gone ( drumming or twanging sound ) I still get the dreaded squealing or honking sound now and then, kinda comes and goes. Just thought I would throw that out there.

That occurred to me as well, but wasn't sure how to check. I ended up ordering some MDR-P rotors, QM42 adapters, and 9C brake pads. Will give that a try and compare the adapters to the ones Frey used. My front brakes are definitely not mounted correctly by the substituted PM adapters.

Thank you admins :thumb:

Having serious connection issues with the battery. I can’t even get the battery to stay still for 5 minutes. Bike is turning on and off repeteadly. Now it won’t even go on anymore. I’ve tried straps etc. to secure the battery down. No help.

The threads on the connector are plastic and on the nut they’re metallic! No wonder the connector ones will go worn out after one single fastening.

[youtube]mm5Tf1rS3Sk [/youtube]

You can hear how the battery arcs when you put the sound loud.
[youtube]eyvLH3Iq7SI [/youtube]

ps. the metal on the battery’s +connector has partly melted due to arcing!

pps. managed to tighten the connector on the battery’s end with a 24mm wrench. Now the bike goes on but it still cuts out the power frequently.

Sorry to hear about your battery problem. Do you know if the problem arises from the frame connection or the battery housing? Do you have a second battery that produces the same problem? Have you contacted Frey about the issue? I hope you get the problem resolved soon. Is your HT your only ebike.
Whistler Mountain’s cousin Thunder Mountain in Massachusetts, a half hour away, opens this week and my AM1000 and EX arrive on Wednesday. The USA may be falling apart with nearly 2M COVID19 cases, massive unemployment, and race riots happening 10 miles from my home but for the moment I have something to look forward to.

What’s the range of the am1000 if only using throttle the whole time?

Pauldugie said:

Sorry to hear about your battery problem. Do you know if the problem arises from the frame connection or the battery housing? Do you have a second battery that produces the same problem? Have you contacted Frey about the issue? I hope you get the problem resolved soon. Is your HT your only ebike.
Whistler Mountain’s cousin Thunder Mountain in Massachusetts, a half hour away, opens this week and my AM1000 and EX arrive on Wednesday. The USA may be falling apart with nearly 2M COVID19 cases, massive unemployment, and race riots happening 10 miles from my home but for the moment I have something to look forward to.

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Thanks for your answer. Waiting for Frey’s answer. Nothing that urgent anymore since I managed to make the connector on the battery end to protrude more with my 24 mil. wrench. The bike mainly works but the threads on frame’s connector are bust.

If you need to make your connectors protrude more you need a 24 mm. socket. In a way the design is flawed since even one full rotation of the metal lockring might chew up the plastic threads. You can never know when the protrusion is at the fullest so be really careful when trying this trick.

FlyingFinn said:

Thanks for your answer. Waiting for Frey’s answer. Nothing that urgent anymore since I managed to make the connector on the battery end to protrude more with my 24 mil. wrench. The bike mainly works but the threads on frame’s connector are bust.

If you need to make your connectors protrude more you need a 24 mm. socket. In a way the design is flawed since even one full rotation of the metal lockring might chew up the plastic threads. You can never know when the protrusion is at the fullest so be really careful when trying this trick.

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mmhhh… it looks really bad.

anyways 2 new connectors would be the solution of course.
meanwhile I would not use the battery anymore or solder XT60 connectors instead, not easy to put the battery in/out the frame then and of course not water proof anymore, but it might work (temporarily). you have to solder the new ones anyway.

each connector has a rubber ring at the inner side ( to seal it). to make it a little higher/protrude you can leave off that rubber ring (temporarily) without destroying the plastic threads by too much torque.

there are a lot of things to mention concerning the Reention Dorado battery case (plastic holders additional attached with epoxy glue , 1mm-foam to support battery seat etc.). your battery seems to be a little -lets say- loose !? so perhaps the problem might also occur with new connectors after a while.

but there is also a spark problem each time the battery is put in the frame. so if you only charge the battery while it is in the frame = no problem. but I can charge my battery only in my house/flat. original BMS/battery has no "power off" button. that was the reason I initially bought the Neptune 15 BMS. I always cut off power (by physical switch or bluetooth app) before I put it in the frame. so I could solve the problem. each spark creates some dark less conductive area. btw I tested to put my battery with "power on" and Neptune 15 in my frame = and yep, it happened what i expected : Neptune 15 was detecting the spark and was cutting off power. original BMS is less sensitive - probably intentionally as most simpler BMS are.

barbarossa said:

FlyingFinn said:

Thanks for your answer. Waiting for Frey’s answer. Nothing that urgent anymore since I managed to make the connector on the battery end to protrude more with my 24 mil. wrench. The bike mainly works but the threads on frame’s connector are bust.

If you need to make your connectors protrude more you need a 24 mm. socket. In a way the design is flawed since even one full rotation of the metal lockring might chew up the plastic threads. You can never know when the protrusion is at the fullest so be really careful when trying this trick.

Click to expand...

mmhhh… it looks really bad.
plug.JPG
anyways 2 new connectors would be the solution of course.
meanwhile I would not use the battery anymore or solder XT60 connectors instead, not easy to put the battery in/out the frame then and of course not water proof anymore, but it might work (temporarily). you have to solder the new ones anyway.

each connector has a rubber ring at the inner side ( to seal it). to make it a little higher/protrude you can leave off that rubber ring (temporarily) without destroying the plastic threads by too much torque.

there are a lot of things to mention concerning the Reention Dorado battery case (plastic holders additional attached with epoxy glue , 1mm-foam to support battery seat etc.). your battery seems to be a little -lets say- loose !? so perhaps the problem might also occur with new connectors after a while.

but there is also a spark problem each time the battery is put in the frame. so if you only charge the battery while it is in the frame = no problem. but I can charge my battery only in my house/flat. original BMS/battery has no "power off" button. that was the reason I initially bought the Neptune 15 BMS. I always cut off power (by physical switch or bluetooth app) before I put it in the frame. so I could solve the problem. each spark creates some dark less conductive area. btw I tested to put my battery with "power on" and Neptune 15 in my frame = and yep, it happened what i expected : Neptune 15 was detecting the spark and was cutting off power. original BMS is less sensitive - probably intentionally as most simpler BMS are.

Click to expand...

Thx for your tips! My bike should be still under warranty (1 year? Or does such even exist?) so any modding would void my warranty. I cleaned the blackened plus connector on my battery with connector spray. There was still pretty serious burn-marks and blops of molten metal inside the connector. They’ll definately hinder the flow...

In any case I’m waiting for Frey’s answer...

Anyone with expertise on Magura pistons? My front brakes had no bite even after swapping out the front and rear PM adapters (FREY forgot to grind my front adapters). This weekend I decided to take a look at the piston with the pads out. When I pulled the brake lever I noticed one piston moved a lot more than the others. I thought that was odd so naively pulled the lever a couple more times and ended up pushing out the piston that was initially moving more (with brake fluid). I carefully pushed the piston back in and set up an appointment with velofix to come out and fill and bleed the brake. In the interim I noticed that the pistons wouldn't push out very far (even though I kept pulling the lever) and I assumed that was because it had lost fluid and there was a lot of air in the brake line. I also checked the rear pistons which behaved the same in terms of pistons not moving in unison so apparently that's normal.

Velofix came out today to fill and bleed the front brake but couldn't get the pistons to engage. It pushes out the piston slightly with each pull but not very far and eventually stops pushing out. No fluid is escaping so I don't think there is a leak. They tried bleeding 4 or 5 times and said it got a little tighter but the piston just won't push out far. Not sure what to do at this point other than replace the piston mechanism? I don't think the piston that fell out is stuck as it pushes out with each brake pull along with the other pistons, all just stop pushing out after a few pulls.

Edit: just got off the phone with Magura USA. They seem to think air is still in the brake line so could be the piston is compromised such that air is getting sucked into the line on the back stroke of the lever pull even though it's not leaking fluid, or things weren't bled properly.

Tom said:

just got off the phone with magura USA. They seem to think air is still in the brake line so either the piston is compromised such that air is getting sucked into the line on the back stroke of the lever pull even though things were bled properly, or things weren't bled properly.

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Isn’t it awesome to use hydraulic fluid to do something you could have done with a cable?

It would be better if I wasn't an idiot, I get myself into too much trouble, lol. Even better if my bike had arrived without so many brake issues. So far I'm $200 invested with new rotors and pads and a $99 service call from velofix. At least they were nice enough to true my front wheel (one of my spokes was loose) and adjust my derailleur since they couldn't get the bleed to work. I think I'll cut my losses on the labor and order a new caliper mechanism for under $100, plus another $99 velofix to install / bleed. The worst of it is not being able to ride.

BTW, the Magura PM adapters arrived yesterday. They came close to the ground adapter in the rear. Putting the ground rear adapter in the front didn't really solve my front braking issues which is why I was checking the caliper action this weekend. Using the Magura PM adapter in the rear last night didn't help (still have noise) so once I get all this sorted out I'll install the MDR-P rotors and blue pads. One thing for sure, I'll never buy a bike with Storm HC rotors.

Balmorhea said:

Isn’t it awesome to use hydraulic fluid to do something you could have done with a cable?

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Wait until there's a hole in a line, or the cable breaks and it bleeds oil all over the pad.

Fun times out on the trails.

Got an answer from Frey. They will provide me new discharge heads for free. Perfect!

Tom said:

It would be better if I wasn't an idiot, I get myself into too much trouble, lol. Even better if my bike had arrived without so many brake issues. So far I'm $200 invested with new rotors and pads and a $99 service call from velofix. At least they were nice enough to true my front wheel (one of my spokes was loose) and adjust my derailleur since they couldn't get the bleed to work. I think I'll cut my losses on the labor and order a new caliper mechanism for under $100, plus another $99 velofix to install / bleed. The worst of it is not being able to ride.

BTW, the Magura PM adapters arrived yesterday. They came close to the ground adapter in the rear. Putting the ground rear adapter in the front didn't really solve my front braking issues which is why I was checking the caliper action this weekend. Using the Magura PM adapter in the rear last night didn't help (still have noise) so once I get all this sorted out I'll install the MDR-P rotors and blue pads. One thing for sure, I'll never buy a bike with Storm HC rotors.

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You should seriously consider investing to Tektro HD-e725 brakes. Magura MT5s are powerful but really finicky to maintain. Tektros work like a charm, are much more powerful and are more readily available in US than in Europe. Otherwise I would have changed as well...

I heard so many good things about Magura brakes I drank the kool aid, but yeah, I am not impressed so far.

Not 100% confident the velofix tech did the bleed properly so I ordered a bleed kit. Just doesn't make sense that air would have gotten back into the line without fluid leak. Seems the fluid would have to spill out somewhere to be replaced by air. I watched some videos online and seems easy enough to bleed the line, might as well learn how to fish. Also ordered some new calipers on amazon as a backup if the piston seal is bad. Easy to return if I don't need them. Problem is everything has to be ordered online and it takes a week to arrive. None of the LBS carry Magura parts.